


The Quiet Family

by SapphireBlueJiyuu



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fake Marriage, Family Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-12 15:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2114604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireBlueJiyuu/pseuds/SapphireBlueJiyuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one talks about the quiet family that lives between the Chetfields and the Kalhoons. Weren’t much for socializing but most of the neighborhood prefer the privacy a gated community provides.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Quiet Family

"Miss Gilbert, this is my colleague Mary. Could you please tell her what you were starting to tell me… about the family that lived at 2231?"

Miss Gilbert looked rather uncomfortable, shifting her cat, Mr. Fufflypants, in her lap for the third time before she shrugged, shaking her head defensively, “They’re normal folk, kept to themselves. Most of the time, you wouldn’t notice they were even there, save for the occasional run-ins with them at the park. Nothing to tell really.”

Mary the Colleague offered a non-threatening smile. “Well, we would like to be thorough. Any detail you can provide will be very helpful.”

Miss Gilbert debated a good long moment before looking out her living room window to the house in question. It sat incandescently beneath the summer sun, undisturbed by the visitors who were snooping around it earlier. The old woman involuntarily shivered. “No one talks about the quiet family that lives between the Chetfields and the Kalhoons. Weren’t much for socializing but most of the neighborhood prefer the privacy a gated community provides.” 

She paused looking pointedly at the two guests in her home.

"The young couple," The young man said carefully, "What were they like as neighbors?"

Miss Gilbert shrugged again, absentmindedly scratching Mr. Fluffypants behind his ears. “Creatures of habit, those two. Every morning, Greg would go out with the dog at 6:30 sharp for their morning run. Audrey would come out at 7:00 to get the paper. 8:00, they’d both be out of the house. She worked at the clinic, he worked at Hollstadt.”

"That’s the local private security company." Mary the Colleague clarified to the man.

Miss Gilbert nodded. “Both of them came home together by 7. At 8 they would take their evening walk with the dog to the park and back. Lights out by 11.” She reached forward and freshened the man’s cup of tea. He thanked her before encouraging her to continue. 

"Nothing much beyond that. Farmer’s market every Saturday morning, then to the park for their weekend picnic. Sunday they would stay in all day. Sometimes, Greg would do some maintenance around the house but that was rare. Sunday was reserved for just relaxing, I suppose."

"Except last Sunday?" the man inquired curiously.

The old woman nodded slowly, “Yes. Last Sunday was… different.”

The man and Mary the Colleague both nodded before shooting each other a look that didn’t escape even Miss Gilbert’s aging eyes. “Could you tell us about what happened?”

Miss Gilbert shook her head with a sigh. “Darryl just moved back into the Cottington’s corner house. He was off at boarding school for hospitalizing one of the local bullies. Poor child was vastly misunderstood and has a severe case of sticky fingers.” The old woman looked out her window wearily, as if she was worried someone could hear her whisper the next part. “I figured he would be frustrated having to hide his fancy for boys. His parents would never approve.”

"Of him being a kleptomaniac?" Mary the Colleague asked, unconvinced.

"No, of him being gay. Darryl was a good boy though; he told me things, you see. He confided in me." Miss Gilbert admitted proudly. 

"What did Darryl’s return have to do with Greg and Audrey?" the man asked.

"Well, Darryl’s father is a policeman, see, not a very nice one at that. And when Darryl stormed out of his house after a very loud shouting match with his father, I waited for him to come to me to talk but instead the boy went to the park. I assumed he needed to calm down before coming to talk to me, so I waited on the front porch." Miss.Gilbert murmured coolly. "And just as I thought, Darryl came to me afterwards. He was gave me the strangest look as we sat on the porch. He was staring at Greg and Audrey as they walked up the street and into their house from their picnic.

"He turned to me then and asked what their names were again. Greg and Audrey had moved in weeks after Darryl had left, so I didn’t think anything of it. After I told him their names, he asked me again if I was sure because he had found Audrey’s wallet and it had three different identification cards in them." 

"And this happened on Saturday?" 

"Yes. Sunday is when they would spend the day in-"

"To relax." Mary the Colleague offered.

Miss.Gilbert shrugged. “I suppose. But on this last Sunday, at around 3 in the morning, I was up to get a drink of water and I saw Greg and Audrey piling as much as they could fit into their minivan and drove off. They hadn’t been back since.”

"Maybe they went on vacation." The man offered.

"I had thought the same thing as well but when I walked over took a peak into their house, there was nothing left. No furniture, no pictures, nothing. This morning that sign was posted." All three of them looked out of Miss Gilbert’s window and across the street at the _For Sale_ sign that was planted in the front yard of 2231. 

The older woman sighed. “It’s a shame really. They made such pleasant neighbors.”

 

* * *

 

Trip thanked Miss Gilbert once again for her time and looked over to Skye wearily as they climbed into the Short Bus.

"If they left at 3 in the morning on Sunday, they could be half way around the world by now." Skye huffed, as she pushed her hair back from her face, the frustration apparent on her face. 

Trip nodded. This time they had been so close to making contact with their old teammates after they disappeared from the secured SHIELD bunker nearly three years ago. At first it was a man hunt for the two ex-operatives who were thought to have been kidnapped took up most of Coulson’s old team’s time. Eventually, it became very apparent that Ward and Simmons did not want to be found. 

"You know what’s weird?" Trip asked turning to Skye. She raised an eyebrow, indicating her allowance for him to continue. "She never once mentioned their kid."

Skye stilled. “What the hell are you talking about?”

The specialist looked over towards the house and said quietly, “When I went into the back of the house, there was a swing set and a small play area. It didn’t come with the house for sure because all the parts were still new; installed maybe… half a year ago or so.” He turned back to his partner and sighed, “For a woman with a penchant for details about everything in this neighborhood, isn’t it odd that she would completely miss telling us that  _Greg and Audrey_  had a child?”

The newer SHIELD agent looked back at the old woman’s house and asked what was on both of their minds. “Do you think she’s protecting them?”

Trip started the car with a heavy sigh. “I don’t know… but if she is, it’s nice to know someone is looking out for them.” He put the car in reverse and drove them out of the gated neighborhood.

“ _We_  could be looking after them.” Skye dejectedly crossed the 2231 address from her notebook of leads. “I mean I get that Ward’s scared that his enemies might get to Jemma and now… his kid… but we can help protect them. I just…” She leaned back against her seat and sighed. “I just want them to know they don’t have to run anymore.”

Trip chuckled softly. “So you can protect them? You mean like how you were able to protect yourself in Libia?”

Skye rolled her eyes. “You are never going to let me live that down will you?”

 

* * *

 

Miss Gilbert finished washing the tea pot and pulled the burner phone from its place beneath the sink cabinet. Dialing the last number that was in there, she waited as the dial tone rang 4 times. 

"Hello?"

"Sarah, darling? Is that you? It’s Miss Gilbert."

Jemma’s voice filtered in through the phone at the mention of her other alias, her smile was apparent on the other end. “Hello, Miss Gilbert! I’ll take it that everything went alright. The agents left already?”

"I’m doing fine, darling. I’m sorry I couldn’t call earlier. I had some guest drop in unexpectedly. They’ve left already but I suspect the house across the street might have new owners soon. They seemed very interested in the property.  _Something_  ran that lovely couple who use to live there out of town.”

The young scientist chuckled. “It’s not their fault. Those agents are good people…” Jemma looked at the photos that hung on their refrigerator door and felt the familiar ache in her chest bloom once again. “It’s just the past catching up with us.”

Jemma understood that what Miss Gilbert meant when she said they were “looking at the house”; they were looking for intel on Ward and herself.

She shifted her two year old from one arm to the other so that she could get a better grip on the phone. “ Anyway, it’s a good thing we cleared out the place before we left.”  The baby gurgled happily. 

"Oh, is that baby Cassie I hear? How’s the little dear? Oh, I miss watching that little bundle." Miss Gilbert cooed.

Jemma smiled as kissed her daughter on her crown. “She’s doing very well.  Her daddy built her a new play set in the living room of the apartment, didn’t he? Didn’t he~” 

Miss Gilbert chuckled humorlessly. “And how  _is_  that delightful husband of yours? Still being a ray of sunshine where ever he goes?”

Jemma laughed. “You know he says good hindrance to that house across from you but I think he actually misses you more than he cares to admit.”

"Ha! I maybe old, darling, but I’m not delusional enough to believe that your husband had anything but disdain for me."

"Oh, disdain is such a  _strong_  word.” Jemma offered with a smile at Miss Gilbert laughing on the other end. “There is something I am sure of though: I know he is eternally grateful for you getting my wallet back from Darryl. And for covering for us. He might never say it but we’re blessed to have had you getting us out of there in time. Thank you.”

Miss Gilbert shook her head. “Oh hush you. It’s all water under a very distant bridge, darling. Now, if you don’t mind, my program is starting. I’ll call when I can.”

"Thank you, Miss Gilbert. And even if he doesn’t say it, Grant thanks you for all you’ve done for us. And so does little Cassie."

"Give them both a hundred kisses for me, darling."

Jemma smiled at that and nodded. “I will.”


End file.
